Page 6 - PCPA Winter 2024 Bulletin Magazine

PA CHIEFS OF POLICE ASSOCIATION
WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL
CALLS 9-1-1, ONE
OF THREE FIRST
RESPONDER SERVICES
IS GENERALLY TAPPED
TO RESPOND: LAW
ENFORCEMENT,
MEDICAL, OR FIRE. YET
NOT ALL CALLS TO 9-1-1
REQUIRE OR ARE BEST
RESPONDED TO BY ONE
OF THOSE SERVICES.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Alternative 911Response
1. Overview of the Alternative 911 Response
I would like to share with you all information about an innovative Alterna-
tive 911 Response Program that my department; Allegheny County Hous-
ing Authority along with Monroeville, Penn Hills and McKees Rocks PD’s lo-
cated in Western PA has piloted in. We all partnered with Allegheny County
Department of Human Services through a grant. I must say, it was a lot
of work developing the program, however, I feel extremely confident that it
was worthwhile and will serve a purpose on many levels. Another important
stakeholder in this program was Allegheny County 911. Collectively, we all
worked diligently to bring this program to fruition. This program is designed
to help people and police departments handle situations by deploying case-
workers to certain calls for service so that individuals can get the help that
they need by specialized trained individuals able to handle a mental health
crisis and or other nonviolent situations.
Last year I attended a government leadership class at Harvard University
which focused on Alternative 911 Response. I collaborated with over 50 of
my peers across the United States who have also either commenced this in-
novative program or were in the developmental stage. All testimonials were
very positive and we engaged in many workshops to help us all learn more
about helping people and police departments navigate through this program.
Below is a synopsis of our program so you have a better understanding on
how the Alternative 911 Response program works.
2. Issue Background
9-1-1 is a well-known and easy-to-remember phone number that many peo-
ple recognize as the number to call when they’re in need of immediate as-
sistance. When an individual calls 9-1-1, one of three first responder services
is generally tapped to respond: law enforcement, medical, or fire. Yet not all
calls to 9-1-1 require or are best responded to by one of those services.
It has often, and increasingly, fallen on police to respond to non-violent, low-
level calls related to social service needs and mental health challenges. Car-
egivers call about children who won’t go to school, business owners call
about people who are wandering around talking to themselves, coworkers
call about colleagues they can’t get in touch with, people with mental illness
call about hallucinations that scare them, and churches call about panhan-
dlers.
The current dependence on law enforcement places a strain on police re-
sources, increases the odds that behavioral health and human services prob-
lems will be met with an enforcement-oriented response, and potentially ex-
acerbates disparities in those responses.
3. Alternative 911 Response
The Alternative 911 Response program led by Allegheny County Department
of Human Services, (DHS) and in partnership with Resources for Human De-
velopment, Inc. (RHD), is an initiative designed to expand the first responder
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